Nailcare

While every woman wants freshly painted looking nails that look great without any chips and mess, very few can achieve them. Here are 15 hacks to get your nail painting technique right.

Always choose nail paints that are free of the three chemicals-toluene, formaldehyde and dibutyl phthalate. These chemicals can cause health issues when exposed to them for a longer period.

Avoid choosing quick dry nail paint formulations. It may be drying out quickly, but is also dehydrating your nails.

You need only three strokes of your favourite nail paint to have that opaque coat. Begin with a bed of polish on the brush and stroke on the left, then on the right and last at the centre. You will have the most envious nail coat ever.

Remember to use base coat. This gives the colour of the paint something to adhere to, makes your paint last longer and prevents nails from being stained.

Always finish off with a top coat. This will make your paint last longer and make it less likely to chip.

Choose an acetone-free nail paint remover to remove your paint. It does not dry the nail as acetone does.

Do not paint nails and then do dishes or anything that involves your nails. Hot water is an enemy to nail paint. It will make your nail bed expand, thereby forcing the paint to expand as well. This may develop cracks in your paint.

Soak your nails in cold water after nail paint application. This will make them dry faster and last longer.

Solve the problem of coloured edges by using your old nail paintbrush to tidy the edges. Dip an old nail paintbrush into paint remover and swipe it along the nail bed to remove any excess colour.

Never shake a bottle of nail paint in up and down motion. Always take the bottle in between your palms and roll it back and forth. This will ensure that there are no air bubbles in the nail paint.

Store your nail pants in a cool dry place away from direct sunlight. You can keep them in fridge since it helps the formula in keeping moist and avoids drying out fast. Sunlight can affect the colour and thickness of the polish.

Thin out your old thickened nail paints by adding a little thinner.

Never file your nails in back and forth motion. Always stroke the file in one direction along the grain of the nail.

Moisturise your cuticles and nail bed with ample cuticle oil. This will give a salon like finish to your nail pant and hydrate the nails as well.